Life Spine has successfully completed initial cases with its Longbow expandable lateral spacer system.
According to a company release, the product is the first interbody on the market that expands laterally (A/P) in-situ specifically for a direct lateral approach. It is designed to allow for maximum endplate coverage with minimal anterior to posterior retraction, and to potentially decrease nerve damage. Longbow is also intended to simplify insertion of bone graft, up to 11cc, post expansion.
“The Longbow spacer has changed the way I perform my lateral minimally invasive procedures. Longbow is revolutionary in that I am getting the maximum amount of endplate coverage via expansion in-situ while reducing the amount of retraction nearly 50 percent by inserting the spacer in a collapsed position. This has meant less pain and risk for my patients, and overall better outcomes,” says Zeshan Hyder, Orthopedic Spine Surgeon at the Bone and Joint Specialists (Merrillville, USA).
Longbow is scheduled for limited US release in the third quarter of 2016, with full product release expected later in the year.
